1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an authentication apparatus, an authentication system, an authentication method, and a computer readable recording medium stored with a program for controlling the authentication apparatus. The present invention relates particularly to authentication technology for authorizing a reliable visitor to have access to, for example, a network containing confidential information.
2. Description of Related Art
In authorizing a reliable visitor to have access to a network containing confidential information in an office environment where security is maintained, it has been necessary for the system manager to establish a certain setup on the visitor's terminal equipment concerning the network.
However, it causes a substantial burden on the system manager in order for the system manager to be involved constantly in the network setup work and also makes it difficult to respond quickly to a visitor. Therefore, various methods have been proposed to authorize a reliable visitor to have access to a network system containing confidential information via a specific authentication apparatus without bothering the system manager.
One of such an authentication method is to have access to the authentication apparatus from terminal equipment such as a personal computer (“PC”) and a personal digital assistant (“PDA”) connected to the authentication apparatus via a network to achieve authentications. However, such an authentication method does not guarantee the fact that the user entered the area where the authentication apparatus is installed, in other word, that the user made any physical operation at the authentication apparatus. Therefore, it leaves a possibility of hacking, i.e., unauthorized access to the authentication apparatus from remote terminal equipment.
Another method, which has been proposed, was to authenticate access by causing application forms or cards to be read by the authentication apparatus. See Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-83280. This method guarantees the fact that it required the user to make a physical operation at the authentication apparatus. However, it leaves a possibility that a copied or stolen application form, or a discarded application form is fraudulently used. Consequently, there was a problem that it is difficult to prevent unauthorized access to the network based on such a fraudulent application.